A leading product of the Catalan plain, the Roussillon red apricot has AOC status, in recognition of its great taste. Round in shape, with a smooth, downy skin, the Roussillon apricot is orangey-red and has sweet and juicy flesh, thanks to the great amount of sunshine it gets. There are four different kinds: Royal Roussillon, Héléna du Roussillon, Gâterie and Rouge du Roussillon, and the harvest runs from June to mid-July. Roussillon apricots are full of vitamins, and can be eaten as they come when they are properly ripe, or used to make jam, in tarts, dried or candied.
Roussillon apricots have excellent health benefits, being rich in potassium and fibre because of its pectin content, and its pretty orangey colour is the sign of its high concentration of beta-carotene.
Every year in July the town of Rivesaltes holds an apricot festival, where you can meet the people who grow this wonderful fruit, taste the produce, or even attend the contest to see who can eat the most apricots!